Star Wars: The Crucible Dueling Pits
by A Avenger
Summary: After the end of the New Sith Wars, as the reformed Republic struggles to pull the war-torn galaxy back together, the paths of four unlikely and vastly different teens who have nothing in common with one another become intertwined. Together, they have to face this brave new galaxy where Dueling Pits have become the new craze, and deal with the threat of a shadowy organization.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

I wrote an outline for this story years ago, way back before Disney came up with the new Star Wars canon, which means this story would follow the Star Wars legends timeline instead. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Star Wars: The Crucible Dueling Pits**

It is the year 997 BBY, three years after the end of the New Sith Wars which plagued the galaxy for a thousand years. With the apparent final defeat of the Sith by the Army of Light at the Seventh Battle of Rusaan, a new era of peace is being ushered into the galaxy, beginning with the reformation of the Republic after the Ruusan Reformation.

But with peace and prosperity reigning once more, a new form of entertainment has found its way into Holotelevisions all over the galaxy to bring people thrills and excitement in the safety of their own homes. No longer a niche reserved only for the gruff and tough patrons of cantinas all over the galaxy to watch, dueling pits have became a popular form of mainstream entertainment for all, complete with different rules applied to different duels to cater to people of all ages.

Out of the smoldering embers of war, though, a shadowy organization arises. The _Crucible, _an ancient secret society comprised of only the most influential and powerful people in the galaxy, has orchestrated the galaxy's events from behind the scenes for thousands of years. And in the direct aftermath of war, with the Sith destroyed and the Jedi de-militarized, their biggest rivals are gone, and the _Crucible_ will finally have their chance to consolidate power in the galaxy.

With the galaxy now in a frenzy over dueling pits, while billions of people are still displaced all over the galaxy, the _Crucible _are in no short supply of tools to reach their goals. Lawlessness and suffering run rampant in war-torn worlds, and countless are desperate for a chance to escape their misfortune if given the chance. Luckily for a select few, the _Crucible_ will grant them their escape, but only at the steep price of being molded into their weapon against the galaxy…

* * *

**Elise Jain**

Hidden in the shadows behind a dumpster in an alley, Elise Jain waited, watching the two cloaked figures talk silently as she clutched a small, spherical object.

"It's been far too long." One of the figures whispered, his voice hushed but anxious. "Do you know what it's been like for me just waiting on this backwater planet for you to reach out to me?"

The figure paused, turning left and right to glance around. Flattening herself against the stone walls of the alley, Elise remained under the cover of the night and out of sight.

"I feel eyes watching me everywhere I go, every single minute of every day." He continued, rubbing his hands together nervously. "For a while, I'd almost thought you'd abandoned me."

At that, the other cloaked figure, obviously a Twi'lek from the two lekkus coming from his head, scoffed.

"Abandon you and lose all that we've worked for? I don't think so." He paused. "I'm sorry that I haven't been in touch, the dueling arena project has kept me quite occupied. But still, paranoia isn't your enemy in this line of work. Perhaps that would be a good trait to retain if you're serious about joining the _Crucible_."

Elise's eyes widened. For the first time in the months that the young Jedi Padawan had been tracking the them, this was the first time that she'd heard that name said aloud, and the first of any type of confirmation that the elusive organization even really existed. Nobody had believed her, not even her masters. But with the Twi'lek now finally confirming the existence of the shadowy _Crucible_, surely Elise had all the information she needed to convince her masters, especially since she was recording everything they said with the mini holo-recorder in her hand.

"We have remained a secret for thousands of years because of our ability to remain out of sight, even while while playing an important part in the galaxy's fate." The Twi'lek continued. "And with the disarming of the Jedi and the disbanding of the Army of Light, there will be quite a void left for us to fill."

Listening in, Elise had been too intrigued by the conversation to have noticed how far forward she was peeking, or that she was leaning too heavily into the dumpster. Before she could catch herself, Elise had inadvertently pushed the dumpster an inch forward, just enough for the metal to grate against the ground in a loud screech.

"Someone's there." The Twi'lek said, his voice an urgent whisper. "Quick, get them!"

The two figures rushed forward, sprinting right at Elise with amazing speed. Jumping up over the dumpster at the last second, Elise dodged the their tackle as she landed behind them, pulling out her lightsaber and igniting the bright green blade, illuminating the dark alley with its light.

"Jedi! A Jedi!"

"Stop right there." Elise growled, her emerald eyes fierce. "I'm afraid you're gonna have to come with me."

The Twi'lek seemed calm as he slowly raised his hands, while the other figure seemed to be in a frightened shock.

"W-Wait J-Jedi…" He stammered, falling down to his knees with his hands on his head. "We don't want any trouble, n-not with the Jedi. Please…"

"You fool, get on your feet." The Twi'lek spat in disgust. "This girl has nothing on us, and the Jedi have no more power, not after the reformation." He looked up at Elise, sneering. "In fact, what she's doing is basically illegal. We'll be walking free by sunrise."

"Not if I can help it." Elise said, starting forward. Even though she was only a Padawan, Elise had always been confident in her abilities and never backed down from anyone. "We have ways of making you talk. Trust me," she turned to the kneeling figure with fire in her eyes. "I can bet _very _convincing."

"N-No, please…" The man begged. "I'll cooperate, I'll tell you anything you want. Anything at all! Even-"

Perhaps Elise had been too confident, or too focused on what the man had been saying. Either ways, she hadn't noticed the Twi'lek lower a single hand to grab the blaster pistol from his cloak, and was caught completely by surprise when the red glow of a blaster discharge filled the darkness, interrupting the man's words as he slumped forward, dead.

"What! You-"

Elise screamed and swept her blade at the Twi'lek, but he was already gone, leaving behind pellets as small as marbles on the ground. Too late, she realized that they were smoke bombs, and was forced to retreat backward by the obscuring cloud as they exploded.

By the time the smoke cleared, the Twi'lek was already gone, and she could not sense him anywhere nearby. All that was left was Elise, fuming angrily, a dead body, and the strong odor of blaster discharge in the air.

She had lost him.

* * *

**Rush Davrin**

The screams of the crowd could already be heard even before the gates to the arena slid open. In the darkness, Rush stood alone, dressed in a dark skintight combat-suit as he gripped his twin vibro-daggers in both hands tightly. Slicked with sweat, the boy's heart raced while his chest pounded with quick, shallow breaths.

Being only fifteen, Rush has had to considerably adapt his combat strategy to compensate for his lack of size and strength. Unlike the other pit duelists, he wore little protection, opting to forego the use of any helmets and body armor, and had to only pick the lighter weapons available for use. However, by focusing on developing the advantages that his size gave him, Rush learnt to be deadly fast and effective with his weapon of choice, the dagger, and cultivated an almost inhuman speed when he moved around in combat.

On top of that, another perk of his young age, combined with his unique speed-based dueling style, was that Rush became quite popular amongst the patrons of the cantinas in Coruscant's undercity. Everyone likes an underdog story, and after a long time of cursing his seemingly terrible fate, the boy came to actually enjoy the attention and fame this life gave him. Because, sure, while training and fighting in the pits was tough, being the fifth son of a farmer back on Lothal was pretty tough too, but came without any of the recognition he had now.

"And bringing you," the announcer's voice outside boomed. "Your champion, Garzak the Iridonian!"

The crowd's cheers and stamping feet caused the very ground below Rush to shake, and the boy began to feel the familiar tinges of nerves and fear now more than ever, because he knew this was going to be a difficult fight. After a little over two years in the business, Rush was finally given the chance to fight the dueling pit's bloodthirsty champion, who happened to be a massive Iridonian. And unfortunately for the young challenger, the bout happened to fall on a deathmatch night, meaning only either the human boy or the Iridonian gets to leave the arena alive at the end of the duel.

"And your challenger," the announcer continued. "A dueling prodigy and crowd favorite, I present to you the quick and deadly Rush Davrin!"

The gate in front of him slid open, and Rush was immediately greeted by the blinding light of the arena as he stepped forward.

"Rush! Rush!"

The cheers were almost deafening. Deathmatch nights drew in a big crowd, and championship duels drew even more. But none of that fazed him; Rush had never found himself overwhelmed by the lights of the arena, nor by the rowdiness of the drunk crowd. He knew what he had to do to leave the arena in one piece, and he knew he had to stay focused. Garzak might be a dangerous opponent, but the Iridonian's overeagerness and thirst for blood could be exploited by the cunning duelist easily. Rush already had a strategy, and all he would have to do was fight the perfect fight.

"You're dead boy!" The horned Iridonian snarled, swinging his huge vibro-blade heavily in the air. "Dead!"

Rush watched with focused eyes as the champion showed off. Garzak wore only a tunic, leaving his heavily muscled body bare for all to see, and was covered head to toe in fierce tattoos. In truth, looking the way he was now, the Iridonian did indeed seem quite menacing. But Rush's memory was sharp, even as fear coursed through his body, and he quickly recalled that Garzak normally fought with heavy armor to match his heavy weapons. Why then, did he wear only a tunic now?

The answer was simple. Garzak underestimated him, and wanted to intimidate the boy by matching his appearance to his bloodthirsty reputation. Knowing that this would surely work toward his advantage, Rush encouraged the savage gladiator by feigning fear, trembling as the Iridonian howled confidently, who seemed certain that he had won a mental victory over the boy.

But as soon as the sirens went off to signal the start of the duel, Garzak's assurance in his own skills proved to be misplaced, as Rush's dagger quickly found its home in the Iridonian's thigh. The crowd gasped in disbelief as Garzak stumbled backwards in shock, trying to process how the previously trembling boy managed to spot the opening in the champion's defense, which was actually easy enough since the bloodthirsty Iridonian's attack had been wild and flailing.

Unable to afford wasting such a clear opening, though, Rush charged forward, ducking into a roll as Garzak swung at him blindly, and then came up into his feet behind the Iridonian. Placing another stab swiftly into the champion's back, Rush weaved under a spinning attack by the faltering Iridonian before leaping straight at him, knocking Garzak on his back as a dagger plunged into his belly and the other into his chest. Now down for the count, Garzak groaned weakly as Rush got to his feet, standing atop the imposing gladiator's fallen body.

That was it. In only a minute, the duel was over, and Garzak the Iridonian was dead.

The surge of emotions that came with victory was indescribable. The thrill, the exhilaration he felt after every duel was intoxicating, but tonight was even better than Rush would have ever been able to imagine. He had done it, Rush had dethroned the pit's champion.

Allowing himself to bask in the glory of his victory as he made his way behind the arena, carried along by a wave of congratulations and cheers from spectators, duelists, and patrons of the cantina alike, Rush smiled as he greeted his fellow duelists.

"Amazing, just amazing." One of them had told him. "Like an ant slaying a giant!"

"You know what that means!" Another had said. "Free drinks for the new champion, all night long!"

Following the trail of people offering him congratulatory drinks, Rush soon found himself back in the cantina, lost in the crowd of people. But even with the buzz of victory and all this people around him, a single figure managed to catch the boy's eye. Sitting at the corner of the cantina at a private booth was a well dressed male Twi'lek, accompanied by two other scantily dressed females.

"Rush!" The Twi'lek called out, waving him over.

Taking another glass from an excited cantina patron that had bumped into him, Rush quickly downed it and made his way over to the booth, eyes fixed not on the man who called him, but on the beautiful female Twi'leks beside him, whose outfits hugged every curve of their bodies.

"Amazing, just amazing," the male Twi'lek said with a charismatic smile when Rush had arrived at his booth. "My name is Tarin, and I'm a big fan." He gestured to an empty seat, in between the other two Twi'leks. "Come, please, sit with us."

"Gladly." Rush offered a smile back, and squeezed himself between the girls shyly. Their outfits bared quite a bit of skin, so Rush tried his best not to make any physical contact as he sat with them.

"Listen, I'm going to get straight to the point." Tarin said after a moment, offering Rush a drink, which the buzzing teenager was happy to accept. "I'm a promoter of duels myself, and I'm working on something big. And after seeing what you did here tonight? Heh, wow, I just know that I have to get _you _in on it."

Rush raised his eyebrows, glancing across the cantina to the arena host, his manager.

"Oh, don't you worry about that," Tarin said, noticing his gaze. "I've taken care of it. Really, it's all up to you now." He leaned forward, smiling. "Just know, we'll be offering a handsome sum for you to transfer into our stables."

_Wow. Did I make such a statement tonight? _Rush thought to himself.

"I…" Rush began saying, trying hard to think straight. The alcohol was beginning to make his head feel woozy and the blaring music all around him didn't help either. "I'll have to think about it…"

"Oh, unfortunately my friend, we won't have time for that. Not tonight." Tarin sighed, finishing his drink as he leaned back into his seat. "You see, you're kind of a last minute addition, and we'd have to leave Coruscant tomorrow morning. That just means you'll have to make your decision now, unfortunately."

Rush opened his mouth again but hesitated. Obviously, this was a really good opportunity for him, and getting out of this shithole in the Coruscant undercity? That was like a dream come true. But Rush knew better than to make any big decisions on the spur of the moment, especially if he wasn't able to think straight. And with all this alcohol in his system, Rush just knew that there was no way he would make a smart choice.

"I'm sorry," Rush replied, standing up unsteadily. "I… I think I'll have to turn down your offer."

As he tried to walk away, it became apparent that the pit's new teenaged champion had drunk too much, and he immediately found himself off balance when he tried to leave. Luckily, the two pretty girls beside him were there to catch him in time, just before he fell and embarrassed himself.

"Woah, easy there." Tarin laughed. "You've had quite a bit to drink kid, why not sit down with us for a little bit?"

"Yeah," he muttered as he took a seat again, then turned to the girls beside him. "Thanks." _Hmm. Do Twi'leks always smell so good?_

"Hey, you know what…" Tarin said after several moments, shaking his head and waving his hand dismissively. "Ignore what I said, I was pushing you too hard. Listen, we'd love to have you, because you really impressed everyone here tonight." He smiled knowingly and glanced to the girls. "And by everyone, I do mean _everyone._"

Beside him, the two sexy Twi'leks giggled, touching his arms as their lekkus coiled around his bare neck sensuously. When Rush looked up at them shyly, they merely offered him a playful smile and a wink.

"So this is what we're going to do instead," Tarin stood, holding his drink up in a toast. "We're going to forget my offer for now, and we're going to party like there's no tomorrow!"

The girls beside him stood up and cheered, helping Rush to his feet as he laughed, stumbling and holding onto them.

"Because you deserve it." Tarin continued, offering Rush another drink. "You've earned this, and tonight, you're the champion."

The Twi'leks were all over him now, both of their bodies pressed tightly against his as they rubbed all over his leanly muscled arms and chest with their soft hands and lekkus. Looking to the both of them, and then back up to the drink Tarin was offering him, the _deal_ that Tarin was offering him, how could Rush possibly say no?

"Okay, deal."

* * *

**Damien Dol**

How long had he been in the cargo bay of this stupid ship? Days at least, maybe even weeks.

Damien didn't know anymore. They'd left him here with a large ration of food and water, then put a tarp over his cage and left him alone in the darkness. It was pretty tough to tell the time in the pitch black, but other than that, things weren't really all that bad, especially since Damien wasn't sharing a cage with that Wookie anymore. They'd removed his furry old cage-mate a day before carting him up onto this ship, and that at least allowed Damien some room in the cage so that he wouldn't have to lie in his own piss and excrement.

"Ugh," Damien muttered to himself. He talked to himself often in the time that he spent all alone on this ship. "The least they could do is tell me where we're going." He pinched his nose. "Or clean this stinking cage. The stench is killing me."

Well, at least the worst was over now, because thankfully the ship landed quite some time ago, and Damien was sure that he'd find out just what was going on really soon.

After a couple more minutes, the sounds of heavy boots clanking against the ship's deck became audible in the distance, getting louder and closer until Damien heard the doors to the cargo bay finally slide open. Remaining quiet, Damien waited until the tarp was finally pulled off his cage, revealing the two fully armored Mandalorians armed with high-powered blaster rifles.

"Is that him?" A third voice suddenly asked, and Damien spotted the Twi'lek standing behind his captors. "The prisoner I asked for?"

"That's right." One of the Mandalorians confirmed, then turned to Damien, kicking his cage. "Identify yourself, prisoner!"

Damien's heart was racing in his chest. He didn't know who this Twi'lek was, and what they had in mind for him. Eyes studying their expressions, Damien chose instead to stay silent as he tried to figure out what they wanted

"I said identify yourself prisoner!" The Mandalorian demanded, this time kicking his cage hard enough to rattle Damien's sore body. "Or we'll take a finger off you when we come in!"

"Okay, okay!" Damien yelled back, frustrated and scared. "My name is… Damien Dol."

The two Mandalorians looked to the Twi'lek, and he nodded as if satisfied.

"Alright," the Twi'lek said, stepping forward. "Leave us, I want to talk with the prisoner alone for a few minutes."

At first the two Mandalorians seemed unsure about leaving the Twi'lek alone with one of their prisoners, but in the end they grudgingly complied and left the cargo bay, the doors sliding shut behind them. Now alone with him, the Twi'lek looked down at Damien and studied him.

"How old are you, boy?"

Damien cocked his head. "Fifteen. Who's asking?"

"Why, you can just call me Tarin."

"Tarin…" Damien repeated, his eyes still fixed on the Twi'lek.

"And you're Damien Dol," the Twi'lek continued saying. "Younger brother to Senn Dol, the rogue Jedi Knight who joined the Brotherhood of Darkness."

"If you're looking for my brother, he's dead." Damien replied flatly, gesturing to the rusted iron cage that held him. "The Mandalorians slaughtered his camp on Corulag, killed him and everyone else, then took me prisoner."

Tarin seemed amused by the boy's bluntness, but shook his head. "I knew that, but I'm not here for him. I'm here for _you._"

Damien raised an eyebrow curiously and sat up in his cage straighter. Ever since he was a young boy, Damien always lived under the shadow of his brother. Senn Dol was at first a great Jedi Knight, and later a Dark Lord of the Sith under the Brotherhood, prodigiously gifted with tremendous Force abilities which Damien unfortunately didn't seem to have. And so it was a little surprising to hear that this strange Twi'lek had tracked Damien down not to talk about his brother, but to talk about him.

"Me? Why me?"

"Because your brother took you with him after he left the Jedi, didn't he?" Tarin eased himself onto the ground, sitting down right in front of Damien's cage. "You were with him during his campaigns all across the galaxy, weren't you?"

Damien nodded.

"But you weren't killed during the liberation of Corulag, and you weren't there at Ruusan when the Brotherhood was wiped out." Tarin smiled. "That makes _you _one of the last witnesses to the Sith's arcane knowledge, Damien, and that makes you special."

Taken aback by that, Damien had to laugh. "Woah, I mean, if you put it that way, then yeah. But really, I never learnt anything important during my time with the Brotherhood. In fact, I was nothing more than a token child being carried around from world to world, a mascot for the Brotherhood, if you will. Now, if you wanted to know something important about the Sith, maybe a Sith Lord or my brother would've known, or even one of the Gloom Walkers-"

Shaking his head, the Twi'lek interrupted Damien by raising a hand.

"-Well, none of them are alive today, are they?" Tarin asked, and Damien shook his head.

"No. They're all dead, wiped out by… by some sort of ancient ritual." Damien shrugged. "I don't know the details, but I've heard stories."

"That's right." Tarin leaned forward, so that his face was right in front of the cage's iron bars. "But you're alive. You've dropped off the radar after Corulag, and most presume you dead, but here you are. Still breathing, and ready to help me."

_Help you? _Damien thought to himself. He didn't understand, and didn't trust this Twi'lek. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Tarin, Damien frowned.

"What do you want from me?"

"I want to set you free, Damien." Tarin said, producing a set of keys from his pockets. "I can only imagine all that hatred burning inside of you, the uncontrollable craving for revenge." He dangled the keys off a finger. "I want to purchase you from your brother's killers, and I want to give you a chance to get back at them."

"F-Free?" Damien repeated in disbelief. "Really?"

The boy had been imprisoned for all of three years in this cursed cage. Freedom seemed like a distant dream by now, and Tarin's mention of it was the first tine Damien had thought about it in so long.

"You'd like that, now, won't you?" Tarin nodded, smiling. "Just tell me, what are you willing to do to exact your vengeance? Would you be prepared to do anything, to go through anyone that stood in your way?"

Suddenly, Tarin's face turned deadly serious, and his voice had dropped to a whisper.

"Just say the word, Damien, and I'll get you out of here."

Looking to the keys that Tarin held in his hand, then back to the mysterious Twi'lek, Damien swallowed hard. Those Mandalorians made him watch as they brutally killed his brother in front of his own eyes, and then locked him up in a cage for years where they let him starve and beat him savagely every day. At this point, there really was no question as to what price Damien would pay to exact his vengeance. Sure, he didn't trust the Twi'lek, not one bit, but did that really matter in the face of his freedom? Damien had prayed everyday for three years, to the Force, to fate, to just be allowed one chance at avenging his brother. And now, with Tarin here to answer his prayers, there really was nothing left for Damien to say.

His eyes burning with determination, Damien nodded. "Get me out of here."

* * *

**Noah**

Awakened by a sudden burst of sunlight hitting his sleeping face, followed by the startled words of a man, Noah's eyes flew open.

"What the kriff? What are you doing here!"

Shielding his face from the glaring brightness of the morning sun, Noah looked up at the man who had discovered him, as sunlight seeped into the loading crate he was sleeping inside of. The man, who Noah guessed was the factory foreman, had pulled off the crate's lid, which served as the boy's shelter from the cold and rain last night, and was now looking down at him with an angry face that seemed so red Noah thought it could burst.

Standing up, Noah climbed out of the crate and dusted himself off, trying to look as respectable as he could in front of the man. Even though he was dressed in nothing but rags, Noah knew he should at least make an effort to look half decent in front of someone with the authority of a factory foreman.

"I'm sorry sir," he began saying in a small voice. "I didn't have a place to sleep last night. I didn't mean to bother anyone."

Noah had been passing by an agri-factory last night when he became too cold, too tired, and too hungry to continue walking. So he decided to look around the back of the factory and found empty crates that he could rest in for several hours. Obviously, those several hours had turned into a full night's rest, but Noah couldn't help it; he'd been walking for days, surviving only on what little he'd taken with him when he left the city.

"Bother me?" The foreman repeated, outraged. "What really bothers me here, young man, is that you snuck onto private property and haven't made yourself scarce after being found!"

Letting his gaze fall to the ground, Noah muttered another apology.

"I'm sorry, I'll get going sir." He winced as his voice cracked. "But… I'm parched, sir. If it isn't too much to ask, could I have some water? I don't have much left, and I've been walking a long way."

Noah had asked nicely, sincerely and genuinely. But when the foreman's face grew even angrier, he knew better than to stick around and quickly fled, his bloody bare feet pounding at the ground as he raced away onto the main road of Chandrila's countryside.

It seemed that on this planet, the well educated and highly political people thought themselves somewhat above the poor. And especially with the great number of nonnative immigrants now stuck on the planet as a direct result of the New Sith Wars, the Chandrilans have taken to adopting a harsh and hostile attitude toward anyone who didn't look at least half well off.

Noah wasn't one of those immigrants, though, but as an orphan, he was raised alongside the poor and came to be treated by the native Chandrilans as one of them. In truth, Noah had been born here to a Chandrilan Human mother fourteen years ago, when the Brotherhood of Darkness still held the planet. Noah's father was slain during the unsuccessful defense against the Sith, and because his birth was a difficult one, his mother didn't make it out of childbirth alive, leaving the orphaned boy to be sold to the Chandrilan workhouse factories.

That was years ago though, and Noah had long since escaped the life of slaving away day and night to produce the agricultural planet's main export, food, inside stuffy hot factories. Since then, he's lived quite a colorful life in his very short years, having been on the road all by himself, and for a period of time, living in the slums of Hanna City.

But now, Noah was on the road once more. To where? He didn't know. All he knew was that there would surely be quite a bit of misery and pain in store for him in the near future. That was just his lot in life, and billions of unlucky people in the galaxy had it just as bad as him.

Rustling in the long grass of the Chandrilan plains interrupted Noah's thoughts just then, and he thought he heard the soft, pitiful cry of a small animal. Investigating the sounds, Noah parted the grass to reveal an injured Squall, probably the victim of an unsuccessful hunt for its exotic and pricey meat.

"Oh no…" Noah muttered as he inspected its injuries.

At first, the Squall seemed afraid of Noah, but was too hurt to run away anymore. The Squall's injuries were bad, and it was obvious that it was far too late to save it now. Still, the thought of leaving the small animal to its fate never crossed the kindly boy's mind, and he instead kneeled down beside it as he rummaged through his pack for something to give it. When Noah left the city he'd taken some supplies with him, but by now, there was just a small portion of cold ham and a barely filled flask of water left.

"There, there." Noah whispered kindly, producing the flask of water. There was barely any left for him any more, but nevertheless, Noah shared a generous amount with the dying creature. "It's going to be alright. The pain will go away soon."

The Squall's fear of Noah seemed to subside as he began stroking its head gently, and it closed its eyes as he hummed a soothing song, taking comfort in Noah's presence in its last dying moments. Finally, after a few more minutes, the Squall stopped breathing, and Noah knew that it had passed away.

"I have to say," a voice suddenly called out from behind Noah. "That was very stupid of you."

Spinning his head around, Noah saw that a Twi'lek was standing several feet behind him, having approached without him noticing.

"Kind, yes." The Twi'lek continued. "But stupid. The animal was seconds from death and you took the time to sit with it, even giving it some of your precious supplies." He gestured at the flask still in Noah's left hand. "And the worst part is, I'm guessing you barely had enough left for yourself in the first place, am I right?"

Slowly getting to his feet, Noah kept his eyes on the stranger warily. Not distrustfully, for he had met strangers before who were kind to him, but warily, since Noah was smart enough to know that people out there had bad intentions for lone travelers like him, especially since Noah was barely more than a child.

"So why? Why waste a resource that you barely have enough of on a dying animal?" The Twi'lek's keen eyes looked him up and down. "I mean, especially when it looks like you're already in pretty bad shape yourself."

This wasn't the first time that Noah had been questioned like this. Back in Hanna City, the streetwise urchins in the slums often poked fun at him for being too 'soft'.

"It was the right thing to do, no, the _only _thing to do." Noah eventually replied, brushing his sweat laden dark blonde hair from his brow. "The Squall was thirsty and hurt. Maybe I couldn't have saved its life, but it deserved better than to die hidden in the grass, all alone." He paused thoughtfully. "No one deserves that."

At that, the Twi'lek couldn't help but scoff. "If you wanted to offer the animal mercy in its last moments, then you should've put it down. That would've ended its suffering, _and_ saved you some water to drink."

"No," Noah shook his head firmly. "Only a coward would have put that Squall down. A coward too afraid to take a poor animal by the hand and walk with it to face its death."

Hearing this, the Twi'lek seemed amused but also surprised, and perhaps slightly thoughtful; after all, it was not everyday you'd run into someone so genuine. After almost a minute of silence, the Twi'lek finally reached into his own pack and produced a full bottle of water.

"Here," he said, offering it to Noah. "Drink some before you pass out, you're white as a sheet."

Graciously, Noah accepted the water and began chugging down the entire bottle.

"You know, I might have been all over the galaxy, and met a whole bunch of different people," the Twi'lek chuckled, almost more to himself than to Noah, "but never before have I met a wanderer on the road so stubborn and naive. Never." His chuckle slowly died out, then he turned to Noah, serious. "Why are you on the road? Where are you headed?"

"Nowhere." Noah managed to say in-between gulps.

"Nowhere? Nowhere in which direction?"

Finishing the bottle, Noah wiped his mouth clean and offered it back to the Twi'lek with a shrug. "Anywhere. Anywhere away from Hanna City."

"Oh, is that so?" There was a knowing twinkle in the Twi'lek's eye, and it almost seemed as if he could see right through Noah. "Running from someone, I suppose?"

Noah remained silent, but his face fell.

"Or something. Your old life, I'm guessing." He paused for a few moments. "What's your name, boy?"

"My name is Noah," he answered meekly. "And I'm fourteen."

Watching as the Twi'lek nodded, then turned around deep in thought, Noah's mind began to race. Parked on the road several meters behind the stranger was a speeder bike, which obviously belonged to him. Watching that poor animal die had been quite upsetting for Noah, so it wasn't a big surprise that he'd been too distracted to even notice the sound of a passing speeder approaching. But then, what did that mean for him, and what intentions did the stranger have? Had this Twi'lek just been passing by when he found Noah, or had he been searching for him?

Judging by his current conflicted disposition, though, Noah was certain that running into him had been as much an accident on the Twi'lek's part as it was on his.

"You know, I never make decisions spontaneously," he began saying. "But with you… I just have this really strong feeling about you."

Turning around to face Noah again, the Twi'lek set himself down on one knee so that he was on level with the shorter boy's face, and then put a hand gently on Noah's shoulder.

"What if I told you, I had a way out for you? A way to leave this place, to put Hanna City and Chandrila far behind you? You'd still have to work hard, of course, but your life would be better, and you will never hunger or thirst without shelter ever again. All you have to do is say the word, just tell me you want in, and we'll leave right now."

Noah's eyes had grown wide listening to that proposal, and was searching this mysterious stranger's face for a hint as to what he really wanted.

"Who are you?" Noah finally asked, his face betraying the concern he felt.

The warm smile disappeared from the Twi'lek's face, and his lips curled into a sly grin.

"Why, my friend. You can just call me Tarin."

* * *

**Elise Jain**

Alone in a penthouse apartment overlooking the Coruscant skyline, Elise stood brooding at the window of the bedroom, hands clasped behind her back.

Once again, her masters had brushed her concerns aside, chiding her for rushing into action, and flat out refusing to even look at any of the evidence she had gathered.

"Things are changing, Elise." They had told her when she came up here to meet with them earlier. "With the Sith gone, the Jedi can't just scour the galaxy, policing the people and dealing out justice as judge, jury, and executioner." Their words were kind, but only seemed to frustrate Elise even more. "We have to assume our old stance as guardians of peace in the galaxy now, and leave the policing to the Republic. This is their galaxy to govern, after all."

"Yes, you're right, this is the Republic's galaxy to govern! Elise had screamed. "But the problem is, they're doing a really terrible job at it, aren't they?"

Taking a deep breath, Elise closed her eyes as she fought the building rage inside of her, trying to calm down. During her time investigating the _Crucible _organization, Elise had travelled quite a fair bit and seen how the people of the galaxy suffer. They are poor and starving with nowhere to go and with no one who will help them. In poverty, men, women and children alike suffer under corrupt marshals, bandits and gangs. Is this what the Republic would call 'taking care' of its people? Is this what her masters expect her to allow to happen while she stands idly by and meditate in her temple?

Turning to look around at her apartment, Elise shook her head angrily. They could easily fit two dozen people in here comfortably, and this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the resources the Republic had available. But instead of using it to help suffering people, they give old Jedi Masters and Knights the most expensive apartments and condos in Coruscant to thank them for a war that's already over, while tens of millions of people continue to die everyday.

Huffing angrily, Elise stormed out of the room. No, she could not just sit idly by and let this happen. Elise had to do something, and just because her masters didn't approve of it, doesn't mean that there was nothing she could do.

Pulling out the holo-recorder from inside her Jedi robes, Elise replayed a section of the conversation she'd recorded that stood out to her earlier while she was reviewing it.

_"__-but the dueling arena project has kept me quite occupied-"_

Elise clicked the recorder, stopping it right there. There it was, exactly what she needed. Several times, during her investigation, Elise has heard mentions of a project involving dueling pits. And now, as she passed by another window in the apartment, Elise spotted a single bright flashing holographic billboard in the Coruscant skyline, reminding her why that particular sentence from the Twi'lek caught her attention.

"**Changing the name of the game, get ready for duels to get even more exciting with enormous arenas and ambitious plans! The biggest project in the history of dueling pits is here!**"

That just had to be it. Elise was certain, that had to be the same thing that the Twi'lek was talking about. Looking down to her holo-recorder, then back up to that billboard, Elise smiled, and hurried out of the apartment.

She had a duel to sign up for.


	2. Chapter 2

**Elise Jain**

"My name is Elise Jain, and I am a Jedi Padawan."

Sitting on a comfortable chair in the _Infinity Duels_ office on Coruscant, Elise looked at the camera with a blank expression. Already, she'd been accepted into the dueling roster, and now Elise was being interviewed to create her duelist profile. It was something everyone had to do, apparently, for marketing purposes. And since Elise was working undercover, she knew that she needed to be very convincing.

"Why did you decided to become a duelist, Elise?" The interviewer prompted.

"Because I wanted a chance to prove myself," she replied, adding a carefully crafted fake smile after. "My masters never took me seriously back in the temple, you see. They always underestimated me and criticized my every move."

Her responses were deeply thought out and well crafted, so much so that her deception wasn't based on lies, but her own truth.

"So I left them and came here." She continued. "I want to show everyone, to show the galaxy that just because things are tough, especially in these dire times, that doesn't mean it has to be the end. Life is unfair, and sometimes when you don't get what you want, you've just gotta get up off your ass and take it for yourself."

Seemingly satisfied with that, the interviewer stood up and smiled. "Alright, that's perfect." He motioned to the camera crew to cut, then mused to himself. "Elise Jain, the rogue Jedi. Just brilliant!"

Smiling coyly, Elise smirked to herself. Indeed, that was brilliant, everything about this was.

Her plan to infiltrate in plain sight was absolutely genius, since it would be impossible to hide the fact that she was a Jedi in this day and age. Her masters were right, times were changing. In this new Republic, everyone was becoming reliant on the Holonet, since it provided their only escape from the harshness of reality. And with the current trending popularity of dueling, Elise knew that hiding her identity as a Jedi would surely blow up in her face in no time at all. Instead, she decided that infiltrating the _Crucible _without hiding the fact that she was a Jedi was a better option, since it would allow Elise far more flexibility to go about her snooping.

She was exactly where she wanted to be, all she would have to do was continue to wait for the right moments, moments which would allow her to collect evidence from her position on the inside. If she played this right and took her time, there was no way her masters wouldn't listen.

* * *

**Rush Davrin**

Rush awoke with a start as the ship finally touched down, landing in the docking bays of New Escrow.

"Rush," a human male said as he walked into the _Ivory's_ main hold. "We've arrived."

Rubbing his eyes groggily, Rush looked up at the pair of figures that had come to awaken him. Corex Spree was the man who owned this luxury light freighter, and Scrappy, the HK model assassin droid that was painted a ridiculous bright purple, was his copilot.

Rush could honestly barely even remember meeting the two, and the same goes for everything that happened in the last twenty-four hours after he'd defeated Garzak the Iridonian. Hr knew that he'd celebrated, of course, that's for sure. And then there was this guy, Tarin, who had offered Rush a great deal over some drinks that hr couldn't have possibly refused. After that there was more partying, and then…

Shuddering at the hazy memory of the night he spent with those two Twi'lek girls, Rush looked back up at Corex, shaking his head to focus.

"Where are we again, captain?"

"New Escrow," Corex replied, studying Rush carefully. "Capital of Aargau."

"Oh, right. Aargau…" Rush said slowly, scratching his fiery red hair. "That's the planet with…"

Corex sighed. "The kid's still hungover." He looked to his copilot. "Come on, Scrappy, tell him."

"Aargau is a populated planet in the Zug system of the Core Worlds." Scrappy whirred. "Home to the wealthy Bank of Aargau, the planet is known as the Core's biggest financial center."

"Oh…" Rush nodded, then looked back to Corex. "So it's a planet with rich dudes. Or something."

"Very rich dudes." Scrappy confirmed in a robotic voice.

"Better poor on Aargau than wealthy anywhere else." Corex shrugged, turning to leave. "Come on, it's time to go. We're late, and Tarin is going to have my head if you're not there in an hour."

Rush fell in step behind him, but raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you're coming with me?"

"Of course." Corex turned and shot him an irritated look. "Don't you remember anything I said at all?"

Rush gave the bearded captain a sheepish look, but didn't say anything else.

"Wow, and I thought I was being nice by filling you in." Corex grumbled, striding into the _Ivory's _garage. "Next time you try and tell me something important, just remind me to ignore you, alright?"

The airspeeder that Corex chose was cool, Rush thought. Like the ship it was obviously built for luxury, and yet its sleek exterior was still pleasing to the eye, though it was covered in corporate sponsor logos. Jumping in the passenger seat while Corex hopped in the driver seat, Rush turned and waved goodbye to Scrappy as they left, who had to stay to take care of the _Ivory._

"Okay, listen well Rush, because I'm not gonna repeat myself again." Corex said as they sped through the skies. "Firstly, I'll have to explain to you once more just how important you actually are to _Infinity Duels._" That was Tarin's brand, apparently, Infinity Duels. "Tarin provides only the best for his company's best assets, so I, along with Scrappy and the Ivory, are at your disposal for your convenience."

"Oh, like a butler?" Rush wondered.

"More like a bodyguard."

"No, maybe a chauffeur." A grin spread across Rush's face as he chuckled, which faded quickly as another urgent question began bothering him. "Speaking of which, where are we going?"

"To the Infinity Village of course." Corex said. "That'll be where you and all the others get to stay here in New Escrow. It's actually really nice."

"_All_ the others?" Rush repeated. "What do you mean-"

"-We really don't have time for this," Corex interrupted, cutting Rush off. "We're close by now, so let's get back to business. As of now, we only have one official event scheduled on your calendar. "

"Only one?"

"That's right, scheduled for next week."

Rush frowned. Did they have better duelists that people would rather see or something?

"Before you ask, it doesn't have anything to do with you," Corex said, as if reading Rush's mind. "Just let me explain. You see, the vision that Tarin has for Infinity Duels is rather ambitious for a startup, especially since he's a new name in the dueling circuit. To that end, Tarin doesn't exactly have many friends in the game, meaning that he's had to rely on generous sponsors and donors to put this all together."

Rush nodded, listening intently. He was a duelist, a gladiator first and foremost, but the business aspect of the dueling pits never failed to pique his interest.

"That's why we're on Aargau," Rush said slowly, putting two and two together in his head. "The Bank of Aargau…"

"They're one of our sponsors, yes." Corex smiled. "You might've seen their logo on the outside of this airspeeder."

"But I still don't understand," Rush said, his brows furrowing. "What does that have to do with anything? Why would the Bank of Aargau allow only one duel to be scheduled?"

"Well, the sponsors need to see results, don't they?" Their speeder arrived at an intersection, and, waiting for the light, Corex turned to face Rush. "The Bank of Aargau wants to see how all the money they invested in Infinity Duels is being used, and whether it will draw enough of spectators to turn a profit. That's why they've only greenlit one event. If this whole thing turns out to be a huge dud, at least they'd be able to cut their losses."

"Oh," Rush said, finally understanding. "I get it. It's like a little trial."

"That's right."

"Well, in that case, this should be a piece of cake." Rush grinned, leaning back into his seat with his hands folded behind his head. A trial wasn't really a real duel, and Rush had just killed an Iridonian in a deathmatch. Surely, this would be no problem for him.

Beside Rush, Corex was silent for a few seconds. But just as the light turned green and he began to drive again, Corex spoke again.

"Well, it won't exactly a piece of cake." Corex said, his expression serious. "You see, this little trial is also gonna be _your _little trial, everyone's, actually."

Sitting back up on his chair, Rush looked at Corex and cocked his head.

"Wait, what do you mean?"

* * *

**Noah**

In exactly seven days, five hundred people will enter the arena in a massive rumble pit duel, and only a hundred of them will get to leave.

Laying on his back in bed in his room in the _Infinity Village_, Noah mulled over the briefing he had listened to last night.

Apparently, the response to Infinity Duel's advertising campaign had been enormous, even more than they expected. So it was decided that the five hundred duelists currently on the Infinity Duels roster would be engaged in a free-for-all battle, weeding out the weak so that only the best of the best would remain.

That idea was of course absolutely horrifying to Noah, but apparently not to the others.

"If I see you next week, you're dead." A Duro gunslinger had said to Noah after the briefing, when the boy accidentally caught his gaze. "Dead."

Rolling over on his bed Noah sighed and sat up, looking out the window. The Infinity Village was actually a huge high-end apartment tower overlooking the city of New Escrow, and from his room on the hundredth floor, the view was amazing. It was just too bad that four-fifths of the people living here right now was going to be dead in a week, and Noah would most likely be one of them.

Having arrived a whole week ago, back when only a dozen or so people lived in the tower, Noah got to watch most of the rest of the duelists arrive in the past few days, and from what he could see, he was the youngest of them all. That was bad for him, Noah knew. Not only would he be physically weaker and smaller than everybody else, but Noah would also be quite a big target in the arena, since he was basically a free kill for aspiring duelists to boast about.

Sighing, Noah stood up and made his way out of his room. Life really was peculiar. Noah had already seen so much in his short life, so much that he knew to always expect the unexpected, and yet he would have never in a million years expected to find himself in this position now. Poised to be broadcasted all over the galaxy, fighting as a gladiator in an arena filled with hundreds. Wistfully, Noah wished that he'd never took Tarin's offer, never agreed to his terms. He'd only done so in desperation, because of how tired, hungry, and thirsty he was, but now Noah knew that sometimes, it was better to die with dignity on your own terms than continue living a life that wasn't yours to control anymore.

Letting his face fall sullenly as he entered the tower's turbolift, Noah pressed a button to travel up to the building's entertainment floor, where he hoped to find something to take his mind off the upcoming bloodbath. Whenever Noah found himself in a rut in life, he always looked for a silver lining. He had to, or else he wouldn't have been able to make it this far.

A few floors later, the lift stopped, and the doors slid open. They couldn't have been there yet, though, so Noah looked up, and saw a girl enter.

She was obviously older than Noah, but surprisingly not by much. He guessed she couldn't be any older than sixteen, which made her the youngest person Noah's seen since he's been here, and had long golden hair that reached about a quarter of the way down her back along with piercing emerald eyes.

Surprised at finding someone else so young here, it took Noah a good few seconds of staring before he realized that she too was staring back at him, probably even more surprised than he was. After all, he was only fourteen, even younger than her.

"Are you…" She began asking, unsurely. "Are you here as a duelist?"

Noah bit his lip and nodded.

"Why?"

"I didn't have a choice." Noah began saying. "I was hungry, and they told me they'd take care of me if I came and joined them."

The girl's face grew to a light shade of red, almost as if she was… angry? Was she angry at Noah?

"But why? Where are your parents?"

Noah's face fell. "I don't have any. I'm an orphan."

The girl's shocked disbelief was plain to see on her face, and Noah still wasn't sure who exactly her anger was directed at. Wondering for a while if he should just stay silent, Noah remembered the manners he'd been taught back in Hanna City, and decided instead to change the topic.

"My name is Noah." He said, sticking out a hand. "What's yours?"

She looked back at him hard for a few seconds, as if debating in her mind whether to tell him her name. Just then, the turbolift stopped and the doors slid open, and the girl glanced out the open doors then back to Noah.

"This is my floor," She said, pausing thoughtfully. "I'm Elise, and it was nice to meet you. Maybe I'll see you around."

With that, she turned and left, leaving Noah alone.

* * *

**Damien Dol**

The holographic simulations were fast, but Damien was faster.

They materialized and lunged toward Damien in split seconds, each of them wielding different weapons that called for different solutions to take them down. One ran at him with a sword, and Damien blasted it in the head. Another appeared and pointed a blaster at him from long range, but Damien deftly ducked to the side and traded shots with it. Damien's blaster bolt found its head, of course, while the hologram's missed completely.

While he wasn't trained in the art of combat like his brother had been, Damien had still taken part in battles during his brother's campaigns with the Brotherhood and turned into quite the sharpshooter back in the day. But that was back then, and Damien hadn't held a blaster for three years now. If he wanted to be at peak performance when he entered that arena in two days, Damien knew he'd have to spend every waking moment of what little time he had honing his skills. Time was a luxury he didn't have, and Damien would now have to shake off the slowness that came with being imprisoned in just mere days.

Zipping side to side as he peppered the continuous stream of holographic opponents the training room spawned, Damien finally lost his footing and found himself down on his back, as a thermal detonator slowly rolled toward him.

_Crap._

Damien jumped up to his feet, but too late, as the detonator exploded and a blinding light filled the training room. Shielding his eyes, Damien swore out loud, thumping his fist against the ground repeatedly as the simulation ended.

"Simulation, complete." The training room's speakers announced as his surroundings faded to black. "Total score, three hundred and eighty two."

Not good enough. It was never good enough.

Huffing, Damien grabbed a towel by the exit of the room as he walked out, wiping away the sweat that had collected on his forehead. Pausing at the doorway for a moment, he closed his eyes and massage his temple.

In two days, five hundred of them would participate in the arena in an epic free-for-all, and he already knew how messy that would be. Being locked in combat with that many people would always prove chaotic, and Damien's time in the battlefields of Corulag taught him that luck would play as much of a part to one's survival as personal skill would. And that meant that Damien actually did have a chance at surviving this, since his prior experience in actual battle would give him the edge. None of the others have probably been in anything more than one-on-one duels, and could never be prepared for what was coming.

And yet, neither was Damien. He already knew how big this would be, and he'd be a fool to think that he was ready for it. A free-for-all battle between five hundred people was surely going to be far crazier than anything Damien had been in, and his performances in the simulation room made it obvious that his skills weren't as sharp as they needed to be if he wanted to survive. Put simply, Damien knew that when the day finally comes, he would likely be among the dead.

The worst part about that, though, is that Damien would be dying for absolutely no reason at all. Tarin had promised him revenge, a chance to strike back at his brother's murderers and captors, and yet when he dies in that arena in three days, Damien would die a meaningless death, since none of this actually mattered to him. It was stupid, none of this was anything Tarin had promised Damien when he bailed him out. Why was he even still here? If he'd had any sense, Damien should've left days ago, stowed away inside the cargo hold of one of those many fancy ships leaving New Escrow.

_Well, it's not too late…_

The usually packed corridor Damien was standing in now held about twenty doors, each one an entrance to a simulation training room. The only reason it was empty now though, was because it was very late, far past midnight, and it was for that very reason Damien had come. He wanted to be focused on his training, and be alone with his thoughts when needed be. That's why, when the door to the training room next to Damien slid open, his shock was enough to bring his thoughts back to the present. Even more surprising to him, though, was that a young boy, about the same age as Damien, maybe even younger, was the one walking out of the door.

Standing there silently for several seconds, Damien watched the boy. He hadn't yet noticed Damien, and was rubbing his head with a grimace as his other hand held an ice pack to his shoulder. Very likely, the kid's session back in the training must've gotten a little rough and he probably didn't do very well, which wasn't actually very hard to imagine. He didn't look like the dueling type at all. The kid didn't seem tough, and had a frame far too wiry to deal out or withstand any punishment at all. In short, he looked like he didn't even belong here.

"So what's your deal then?" Damien asked, startling the other boy who finally spotted Damien standing there. "Hurt your head or something?"

"Oh, yeah…" The boy said, as if suddenly conscious of the hand rubbing his head. He paused to gather himself, looking Damien up and down, and then looked back up at him. "My name's Noah."

"I'm Damien. I didn't think there would be anyone else down here at this time."

"Me too. I couldn't sleep, so I came down here to try training instead."

"Why, afraid about the arena?"

"Yeah."

Damien raised a brow at that reply and his smirk faded away. He'd meant to tease the kid, poking a little fun at him about being scared, but he hadn't expected such an honest answer.

"Huh…" Damien finally said, gaze falling down to his worn shoes. "Me too, I guess."

"Everyone's just a little worried, I think." Noah replied, and Damien narrowed his eyes at him. Damien hadn't seen another kid since he'd been imprisoned, so it was surely interesting to find someone who seemed about his age, here of all places.

"How old are you, kid?"

"I just turned fourteen a few weeks ago."

"_Fourteen_?" Damien repeated with a surprised snicker. "And here I thought you were at least my age. Now I know you're surely dead in two days. What craziness even made you think it was such a good idea to become a duelist, anyway?" He gestured at Noah. "You barely look the part. No, scratch that, you don't look the part, at all!"

Noah shrugged, as if he'd heard that a thousand times already. "I don't know, I was hungry. But, I mean it can't be that bad, anything can happen in that arena, right?"

"You got that right," Damien shook his head. "But it's going to be crazy. Being real with myself, I know that the chances of me getting out alive is preeeetty slim."

"So?"

"Well that just means your chances are probably like nonexistent!" Damien laughed, slapping his knee for added effect. "It's like throwing a bug in a meat grinder and hoping it'd come out the other side alive!"

Damien knew that he was being far too harsh on this kid he'd just met, perhaps even a little hostile. Whether it was the stress, or the lack of sleep that was making him so antagonistic, he didn't know. But when Noah continued standing there quietly, not responding with slights of his own, Damien just knew that this boy _really _had no place here in the pits, not at all.

"Hey," Damien finally said after his laughter died down. "I should head up and get some sleep. But really, though," he walked toward Noah and clasped a hand around the kid's shoulder. "I hope things work out for you, for us."

Damien allowed himself another chuckle.

"I mean, I wouldn't want to die in some stupid arena for no reason at all."

"Yeah," Noah's lips cracked into a small smile at that. "Me neither, that would be dumb."

"Maybe if I get through, I'll see you on the other side." Damien smiled back, squeezing Noah's shoulder as he turned and walked away. "Whatever happens, I'll see you around."


End file.
